Neonatal Intensive Care Unit-Specific Lactation Support and Mother's Own Breast Milk Availability for Very Low Birth-Weight Infants.

Neonatal Intensive Care Unit-Specific Lactation Support and Mother's Own Breast Milk Availability for Very Low Birth-Weight Infants. Adv Neonatal Care. 2019 Dec;19(6):474-481 Authors: Mercado K, Vittner D, Drabant B, McGrath J Abstract BACKGROUND: Mother's own milk (MOM) is the preferred nutrition for premature infants, particularly for the very low birth-weight (VLBW) cohort. Benefits are well documented; yet, numerous barriers exist for provision of MOM in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Lactation consultants (LCs) can optimize breastfeeding support for NICU mothers; however, understanding of the impact of NICU-dedicated LCs is limited. PURPOSE: Evaluate the effectiveness of NICU-dedicated LCs in improving breastfeeding outcomes and MOM provision in VLBW infants. METHODS: A retrospective chart review of 167 VLBW infants comparing breastfeeding outcomes between 2 NICUs, one with NICU-dedicated LCs (hospital A; n = 48) and one without (hospital B; n = 119). Primary outcome measures included feeding percentages of MOM received by infants at 3 intervals, throughout hospitalization, and number of direct breastfeeding events. Secondary outcome measures included number of days to first enteral feed, days to reach full feeds, days of nil per os, days on total parenteral nutrition, and length of stay. FINDINGS: Neonatal intensive care unit-specific lactation support increased the number of direct breastfeedi...
Source: Advances in Neonatal Care - Category: Nursing Authors: Tags: Adv Neonatal Care Source Type: research